Fixing Broken Hearts
by Loneliness Gundam
Summary: Xehanort is dead, having been defeated by the Guardians of Light. Peace has been restored to the worlds and our heroes can finally rest easy... Or can they? After Kairi has a nightmare about her Nobody counterpart, Naminé, she decides that something has to be done and tries to find a way to help her. OCxNamine, SoKai, NOT FOLLOWING CANON, THIS FIC WAS STARTED BEFORE KH3 CAME OUT.
1. Chapter 1: Kairi's Nightmare

**So this is the first fanfic that I've ever written. It entails a rather unusual situation which takes place after Kingdom Hearts 3. What sort of situation, you may ask? Well, read on to find out! Note that the OC/self insert isn't in this chapter, as this chapter focuses on Kairi.**

 **Chapter Theme:** ** _Destati (Dive to the Heart)_**

Kairi was running.

She ran as fast and hard as she could, but she just wasn't fast enough. She wasn't running away from anything… In fact, she was running towards someone. Another girl, blonde-haired and dressed in white. She had the same face and eyes as Kairi…

The place was dark, seemingly blank save for the stained glass platform upon which she and the other girl were trying to reach each other. Upon the face of the stained glass, or rather worked into the floor, was an image of Kairi, sleeping, with portraits of Sora, Riku, Axel, and Mickey around her head. Upon this massive plateau, Kairi and the second girl were running as fast and hard as they could, trying to reach each other.

The second girl said something, though Kairi could not hear even a single word. She had tears in her eyes and looked horribly afraid, trying to reach Kairi in order to save herself from some fate worse than death.

But no matter what each of them did, the two young women drifted further and further apart. Kairi was getting desperate, and even summoned her Keyblade, holding it out to the girl in the hopes of extending her reach. The second girl, in a last-ditch effort to be rescued, dove for the Keyblade… But to no avail. As Kairi and the second girl looked into each other's eyes, the second girl gave one final, silent cry, and though Kairi could not hear her, she knew exactly what she was saying.

 _I don't want to be forgotten!_

With those words, the second girl fell, disappearing into the empty blackness of the void…

"NAMINÉ!" Kairi gasped, sitting up with a start. She looked around herself, catching her breath.

She was at home, in her room on the world known as Destiny Islands. To her left sat her dresser, with her Wayfinder atop it, sitting between photos of her with her pals Riku and Sora. To the right, her bed met the wall. On the far side of the room was the door that led into the rest of the house. It had all been a dream… A horrible dream. She had been plagued by the same nightmare for several nights now. But it couldn't have been any ordinary dream… As a Princess of Heart, Kairi normally did not experience nightmares, let alone ones as vivid as the one she had been having about Naminé.

Kairi put a hand to her cheek. Just like the past several nights, there was a damp streak there. She had been crying in her sleep. Of course she had been. Naminé was part of Kairi, and therefore it stood to reason that she could influence Kairi at times.  
Getting up, Kairi decided she had better ask some of the others for advice. She had a feeling Sora would want to help but wouldn't be sure what to do, and Riku would just point her to that confusing Master Yen Sid guy. That left Ventus, Master Aqua, Terra, Axel - sorry, Lea, she always thought of him by his old name at first and was still getting accustomed to the change - and King Mickey.  
Maybe I should try Lea first, she thought. Naminé acted like she knew him before she and I merged, and he was once part of Organization XIII so he might know of a way we could find out for sure…

It was a good thing school was out for the summer. Kairi would have to find Lea first, and these days, he could be anywhere from Twilight Town to Radiant Garden to even his old room in the Castle that Never Was.

 _I hope he's not there of all places_ , she thought. _The World that Never Was is a place I'd rather not ever go back to._

Taking her handmade Wayfinder, Kairi left her room. Grabbing a quick breakfast in the kitchen, she headed for her boat to head out to the island where she and her closest friends had always played as kids…

 **So What do you think? I know this chapter ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I want to keep you guys coming back for more. The next couple of chapters are already written and are just waiting for publication. Tune in next time to find out about the OC insert!**


	2. Chapter 2: Rambunctious Radiant Garden

**So I bet you all are wondering: what the heck does Naminé have to do with this story? Well, I'm not going to answer that yet, but I will state that this chapter introduces the OC/self-insert character. That's right, I'm leaving Kairi on a cliffhanger for now. I'll get back to her in the next chapter, I promise. This chapter focuses on Lea and Isa, but my character will also have a role to play, both here and in the near future...**

 **Also, I'm going to ask a question and I want my readers to respond: Would you people be inerested in seeing Xion in this story? Leave your answers in your reviews or PM me, and if I get enough yesses then our favorite black-haired Nobody will return!**

 _Chapter Theme:_ _The 13th Struggle_

Isa blocked yet another strike from Lea, sliding back with the impact. Lea had been fast with just the Eternal Flames, but now that he had a Keyblade, he had some incredibly powerful strikes too.

"What's the matter Isa?" Lea teased. "Lost your touch with that claymore of yours?" He grinned and set his Keyblade ablaze. Lea knew exactly how to push Isa's buttons… He always had. The redhead could be so ANNOYING sometimes.

"Perhaps you forget why I was known as the Luna Diviner in the Organization," Isa growled, the spikes on his claymore popping out and glinting in the moonlight. "If I were you, I would be more careful." The blue-haired swordsman drew back with his weapon as a blue electrical aura formed around him, then he pounced, swinging his massive blade backhanded.

Lea jumped back and tossed his Keyblade in a Fire Raid aimed at Isa. "Berserker Mode, huh?" he noted. "Guess I'll just have to-"

" **BEGONE!** " Isa cut him off, the familiar, feral nature of Berserker Mode taking over. He smashed the Fire Raid aside, swinging wildly and creating shockwaves as he sped along the ground. Lea was forced to dodge repeatedly, waiting for a chance to strike…

His chance came at last. Just as Isa started wearing out, and his aura began to fade, Lea casted a Fire Wall around them, severely restricting the playing field. "BURN, baby!" he declared enthusiastically, casting Firaza and hitting Isa square in the chest.

The blue-haired berserker was sent stumbling back. He saw Lea coming at him again and raised his claymore to block, but knew it was too late. The strike whacked him in the collarbone, bringing Isa to his knees. He dropped his weapon and it disappeared, its wielder unable to continue fighting. "That makes twelve consecutive nights… twelve consecutive losses," Isa panted. "There must be some sort of trick to it… Some way you always manage to win these sparring matches…

Lea just grinned. "Still got it memorized?" he asked. "There's really no trick to it. I just copy the way I got my butt kicked a few times in the past and add my own personal touch. Simple as that, really." He helped Isa get to his feet, dismissing his Keyblade. "Come on, I'm starving. Up for a bite to eat?

They walked out to the market area. Most of the shops had already closed for the night, but Scrooge McDuck was still minding his giant freezer. After paying for a pair of ice cream bars, the two sat down at one of the tables just beside the Moogle Shop.

"Ya know, I still don't get why you're so obsessed with proving you're better than me," Lea said. "I mean, come on, you challenge me to a sparring match every single night and I've won every time, fair and square. Then we go out for ice cream, and then the whole process starts over again the next day."

"Lea?" Isa asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Be quiet."

"Whoa, looks like I may have hit a nerve," Lea said in a light-hearted tone. "Sorry man."

"No, I'm serious, be quiet," Isa hissed. "Someone else is here."

Lea looked around but took pause at the sight of an unfamiliar figure leaning against the wall of the Nephews' Shop. He looked like he had an Organization-issue Black Coat, but the hood was up and Lea couldn't see his face. Actually, Lea wasn't even sure if it WAS a he. With a thin build like that, it could very well have been Larxene, er, her Somebody anyway.

Scarfing down the last of his ice cream, Lea quietly stood up and went behind the wall leading to the Borough. Isa, following suit, also climbed up a ladder to the top of the wall.

"Whoever it is, they aren't moving," Isa stated flatly. "But that begs the question of why they're here in the first place."

"Isa, anyone ever tell ya that you overthink things?" Lea said, climbing up beside Isa before skirting along the top of the wall and onto the rooftops. He was gonna find out who this snooper was, and he was gonna find out the old-fashioned way.

The figure in the Black Coat seemed to have realized he was spotted, because they took off running and jumped over the wall to head for Ansem the Wise's castle.

"He's getting away!" Lea sputtered, dashing after him. Isa just rolled his eyes and calmly walked towards the Borough, taking the quick way around.

The stranger soon arrived at the side entrance to the castle. Heading inside, they ducked down one of the side passages and hid behind one of the collapsed pipes.

Lea and Isa soon arrived and looked around as they entered the castle. "Dammit, he could be anywhere!" Lea said.

"He or she," Isa corrected. "You alerted the intruder that they had been detected before we could even get an idea of who they are."

"Whatever, let's just find 'em," Lea said, rolling his eyes and summoning his Keyblade.

The two split up, knowing they would need to check every corridor in the castle maze because if they missed even one the intruder would have an easy time getting away. But as fast as they looked, they only turned up dead ends until Lea was ready to give up. "Great, we lost them," Lea groaned. "He must have slipped past us while we were looking through the corridors."

"May I remind you that this might have been easier if you had thought things through and NOT alerted the intruder?" he asked in an 'I told you so' tone reminiscent of his Nobody, Saix.

"Alright I get it already, shut up!" Lea snapped. He still wasn't fond of Isa's nagging, especially when the blue-haired bladesman was reminding him of his failures. "But what are we gonna do about it?"

When faced with such a question, Isa found he did not have a suitable answer. In light of this, he kept his mouth shut, left wondering two things: Who was the intruder? And what or who were they after?

Paul slipped into the shadows in the Borough, taking refuge in an alley. _That was closer than I like_ , he thought. _I guess that's what I get for letting my curiosity get the better of me_.

He had managed to escape from Lea and Isa, but now he had another issue. Being a night owl of a guy made for long, quiet nights being incredibly lonely. His own awkward social demeanor didn't help him make any friends either.

 _Going home wouldn't work either, not when they still act like I'm the one that makes things difficult_ , Paul thought. _Aerith can sometimes help but ever since the town's restoration finished, I haven't seen her at all... What do I do now?_

He sighed. Maybe Radiant Garden just wasn't the right place for him. Or perhaps it would be, if there was someone that he could really connect with on a heart-to-heart level.

 _It doesn't matter anyway_ , he concluded. _Whatever the case, as of right now... I'm still all alone._

He forced back the tears, not for the first time. Was there nobody who would understand him? He had felt like this for years, and despite his efforts, despite the efforts of those who tried to care for him... He still hadn't found anyone.

He reflected on his past. 4 siblings, 2 hypocritical parents, and a daily routine of emptiness and sorrow... Aerith had once mentioned knowing another man like that.

 _The difference is, unlike Vincent, I've never had anyone that could provide what I need the most_ , Paul thought with a sigh. _Well, that and I'm not likely to be mistaken for a vampire._

But the question remained: Where would he go?

 **And with that, Chapter 2 is done. I know that there's still probably a lot of questions you guys have about this guy Paul and what the heck his role is in the story, but I promise it will all become clear in later chapters. Please read, review, and be sure to stick around because Chapter 3 is coming next week!**


	3. Chapter 3: Destiny Islands

**I apologize for this chapter taking longer than the last two. Apparently, FanFiction won't accept documents in Apple Pages format, even after they get converted to Word. Worse, even after copying and pasting the text manually, I still have to go back between each line break and remove non-standard HTML that isn't supposed to be there. For the next few chapters, I'm going to try Google Docs and see if that will convert to Word such that the site will accept the format, and if that fail's I'll be using the Word Online function that ties into my college email to do it that way. So for Chapter 3, I'll be returning to a Kairi-focused view. This one will include Sora, I hope you enjoy it!**

 _Chapter Theme: Destiny Islands_

Kairi tied her boat to the dock and went ashore. The salty sea air and the sand beneath her feet were welcome changes compared to the stuffy classrooms she had been stuck in for the past several months. Even better, she could already see a friend up in the big tree. "Hey, Sora!" she called out, waving up to her boyfriend.

Sora looked down from the boardwalk and smiled at Kairi. "Hey, I'll be right down," he called, heading for the ladder. He liked it when Kairi showed up early, but he couldn't help but wonder where the heck Riku was…

 _Probably still asleep at home. He does have low blood pressure these days._

As Kairi headed up to Riku's spot by the paopu tree, Sora hopped down from the boardwalk's top level and ran to catch up with her. By the time he was on the bridge, Kairi was already kicking back to relax in the crook of the tree.

Sora stopped by the base of the paopu tree to catch his breath. "What's up?" he asked, panting briefly before putting his arms behind his head. "Got any plans for today?"

"Actually, yeah," Kairi said. "But I want Riku to hear about this too, so we'll wait on him."

"Aw come on, you can tell me now, right?" Sora complained, to which Kairi couldn't help but giggle. "Is it really that big of a surprise?"

"Kairi smiled down at him from her perch. "If you're bored, we could always play a game to pass the time," she said. "I know just the thing for until Riku gets here."

"Really?" Sora asked. "What did you have in mind?"

He was promptly greeted with a wooden sword thrown at him as Kairi pulled out a second one from their storage place at the base of the tree.

"Hey!" Sora yelped, ducking the thrown toy weapon. But before he could complain any more, Kairi charged, a playful smirk on her face. Seeing it, he bolted, running after the wooden blade he had dodged.

Kairi couldn't help but smile at how easily she had caught Sora off-guard. She brought her weapon down, where Sora promptly blocked it with the other wooden sword. "You're gonna have to be quicker if you wanna beat me," she taunted.

"Okay!" Sora said, grinning himself. He always got such a rush from sparring with his friends, but there was just something special about Kairi that made his heart flutter more than usual...

Turning the block around, he swung in an upward arc towards Kairi's ribs. She blocked, and countered with a kick that hit Sora right in the stomach and sent him stumbling back and off the small island.

"Whoa!" Sora yelped, falling off the edge and into the water below. There was a terrific SPLASH as he hit the surface.

Kairi ran up to the edge just in time to see him sputtering and shaking the seawater out of his hair. She couldn't help but laugh at him, he just looked so ridiculous like that. Even more so considering she had sent him over the side so easily.

"Oh come on Kairi, it isn't THAT funny," Sora huffed, crossing his arms.

"Yes it is!" Kairi giggled, before turning around and walking back towards the bridge to the main island.

"Hey! Come back here!" Sora called, heading for the shore.

"Are you telling me you just lost that quickly to Kairi?" a voice called out to him from behind.

Sora turned around. There was Riku, in his boat, rowing towards the dock. "How come you're always either napping on the beach or taking a dip in the ocean?" Riku teased.

"I'd like to see you do any better!" Sora shouted back at him before running after Kairi, who was laughing even harder at the exchange between the two boys...

* * *

 **So we have our Keyblade-toting trio together now. Again, I apologize for this chapter being late, and hopefully I can get around it with either Word Online or Google Docs. Please read, review, and tell me what you think of the story so far.**


	4. Chapter 4: Aerith's Resolve

**So after admittedly far too long away from this fanfic, I finally return to give you guys a new chapter. I still want to hear from you guys to know if you want Xion to make an appearance in this story, so feel free to tell me in PM or in your review. Today's chapter takes us to the Radiant Garden crew, sans Lea and Isa, and we'll get some exposition in on the self-insert character's story. Hopefully you guys enjoy it!**

 _Chapter Theme:_ _Radiant Garden (Birth By Sleep version)_

The night passed uneventfully for Paul. After slipping away from Isa and Lea in the tunnels beneath Ansem's Castle, he had gone home and reflected on his situation.

To be blunt, he hated his life.

The only real friends he had were Aerith, whom he hadn't seen in some time, and Tifa, who was far too busy searching for Cloud. He had a couple of connections through those two that would allow him to get offworld and try starting a new life in another place, but all of that hinged on a single question: where would he go? He didn't have an answer.

 _Maybe I could try talking to find Aerith,_ he thought. _She's been to a number of other worlds in the past._

But first things first: a guy could only go without sleeping for so long. So after that, Paul simply lay down and eventually dozed off...

* * *

Morning came to Radiant Garden. Aerith, still mesmerized by the end result of the town's restoration, was in a field of flowers outside the urban areas. Everyone had worked so hard to rebuild and it had all paid off.

Right now, Aerith was in the middle of picking flowers to put into boquets and sell at her stand in the Marketplace, right there next to the Moogles and Scrooge McDuck. Business had been booming with Xehanort gone, and pretty soon she'd be able to buy up one of the empty shop buildings in the plaza.

 _Too bad some of the others aren't around,_ Aerith thought to herself. _Now that light and darkness are at peace, everyone is so much happier._ But then she reconsidered. _Well... almost everyone..._

Besides the problematic guys like Xehanort and Maleficent, a few people Aerith cared for simply weren't enjoying as far as she knew. Cloud was still missing after Sora's duel with Sephiroth, there was still no sign of Zack Fair, and Leon, of course, was a bit of a spoilsport with his seriousness and the constant assumption that an enemy could rise at any moment. Seriously, did that guy even know how to have fun?

There was one other though, younger than the others. A young man Aerith hadn't seen in some time.

 _I hope Paul is okay,_ she thought, realizing she didn't even know how he was holding up.

Her concerns were founded. Aerith herself didn't know all the details, but it was pretty clear that Paul, wherever his family had come from, just didn't understand him. His parents seemed to act under the assumption that his mind processed things the same way theirs did, his brother was admittedly a bit of an idiot, and his three younger sisters were hyper, which was no help at all for the autistic young man. Up until recently, Aerith had been there for him, but lately she hadn't seen him around. Of course, there was always the possibility that he just didn't go to the Marketplace during the day, but still.

 _I'll close up today_ , Aerith finally decided. She had squirreled away enough Munny to ensure missing just one day on the job wouldn't affect her livelihood. Besides, her friends were a bit more important. And assuming the opportunity came up, telling Leon to lighten up a little and relax while he could was fun too.

 **Not gonna lie, I have made the self-insert a bit of an edgelord. In this chapter I tried to capture Aerith's kind heart while at the same time showing that more playful, mischievous side of her. I'd like to know what you guys think in the reviews, and of course, don't forget to vote for Xion if you wanna see her! Please read, review, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5: A New Adventure Awaits

**So after almost 9 months of nothing, I've finally got Chapter 5 ready. In typical fashion, this odd-numbered chapter will focus on Kairi and her friends. There is still time for me to work in other characters including but not limited to Xion, Aqua, Ven, Lauriam, and Mickey, so if you want any of them around be sure to vote in the poll on my profile!**

 **Chapter Theme:** _ **Hand in Hand (Kingdom Hearts II version)**_

"...So let me get this straight," Riku said. "You've been having these nightmares about losing Naminé?"

"And you think she's scared of being forgotten?" Sora interjected.

"Well that's what Naminé tells me," Kairi said. "And this has been going on for a few nights now. I've woken up in the morning and found myself crying, she's so scared. I don't blame her either."

"So… What do we do?" Sora asked. "How can we help her out?"

Kairi smiled a little. Typical Sora, always ready to lend his friends a hand. Naminé wasn't the only lucky one to know someone like that. "Well, we could have her separate from me again," she said. "There weren't any problems when you two rescued me from Organization XIII, so even if we separate again it shouldn't be an issue. The power of waking might do it."

"Your theory's good, but there's a slight problem," Riku pointed out. "She needs a body. A vessel. Last I checked, we don't have one of those lying around, and I'm not sure where to get them."

"Well, what about Xion?" Sora asked.

"What about her?" Riku replied, not following him.

"Xion's body was an artificial vessel, right?" Sora continued. "Someone had to make it. I'll bet that Riku - the other Riku, I mean - was made by the same person."

A moment of silence passed between the friends.

"Sora, you might have given us a good shot at this!" Riku exclaimed, realizing the potential ease of helping Naminé. "Guess you're not as much of a bonehead as I thought."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Sora demanded.

"We can talk about that later," Kairi cut in. "First we need to get a vessel for Naminé. Riku, do you know who made Xion and the other you?"

"That was Even, in Radiant Garden," Riku replied. "He used to be one of Ansem the Wise's apprentices. I bet he's still in the old man's castle, so finding him once we get to Radiant Garden should be a cinch."

"In that case, who's up for a Gummi Ship trip?" Sora asked, grinning.


	6. Chapter 6: Hearing the Call

**Apologies for making Chapter 5 so short. I was kinda out of it due to a mix of distractions. Hopefully this one will keep you guys entertained longer. In other news, I'm currently in the midst of a job hunt so hopefully things will pick up in real life for me soon. In typical fashion we are returning to Radiant Garden for this even-numbered chapter, but this time we're not going to switch back to Destiny Islands afterwards. Instead, we're going to be staying here for the forseeable future since the Island Trio is heading here. In fact, they'll be arriving in this chapter.**

 **Also I want to hear from you guys, should I have someone hook up romantically with Riku in this story? Note that I will not be contradicting the pairings listed in the fic description, nor am I comfortable doing homosexual relationships. Other than that, basically any pairings with Riku are fair game. Leave your pick (if you have one) in your review!**

 **Chapter Theme:** _ **Radiant Garden (KHII version)**_

The trip through the Lanes Between passed uneventfully, aside from Riku dozing off during the long drive (good lord, Kairi could do without the snoring). Just like the last time he'd been here, Sora set the ship down outside the Marketplace and soon the three were marching off towards Ansem's Castle.

However, just as they rounded the corner into the Borough, Sora was knocked over by a sudden impact with a person…

"Hey, what's the big rush, running around corners like that?" Sora asked, rubbing his forehead - that is, until he saw who he'd bumped into. "Oh, Yuffie, what's up?"

"Just doing a favor for Aerith!" Yuffie said cheerfully. "She's worried about one of the guys in town that's been having a rough time. Since she hasn't seen him around lately, we're looking for him."

"Maybe we could keep an eye out," Riku suggested. "What's he look like?"

Yuffie shrugged. "Haven't met him myself, but Aerith says he's about the same height as Riku and has kinda long brown hair."

"You sure she's not talking about Leon?" Kairi asked.

"That's what I said!" Yuffie said. "Apparently he looks similar but wears different clothes, at least if Yuffie isn't pulling my leg here. Sorry I can't be any more helpful."

"We'll make sure to keep our eyes open anyway," Sora said. "In the meantime, we're in town to help another friend out. Hope everything turns out okay."

"See ya guys!" Yuffie said cheerfully before jumping off to… Well who knows? She bounced all over the place…

"Knowing our luck, this is gonna come up again," Riku noted. "Especially if we run into Aerith."

"You say that like it's a waste of time!" Sora said, grinning as he put his arms behind his head. "Besides, aren't we basically here for the same reason Aerith is looking for this guy? We've got all day anyway, we should have a look around after we get everything set up for Naminé."

"Sora's right," Kairi added. "It would be hypocritical and wrong for us to just walk away from this."

"Yeah, I know, just seems like something crazy always comes from stuff like this and I'd rather not have to do any more fighting after what happened with Xehanort," Riku sighed. "No offense to Aerith or her friend, just…"

"Good grief, you're starting to sound like me," a familiar voice said. "I'm starting to see why Aerith and Yuffie say it's annoying and call me a spoilsport."

"Leon!" Sora exclaimed, seeing the familiar Gunblade wielder.

"How's it going, Sora?" Leon asked. "Haven't seen you since the Nobodies were the big threat."


	7. Chapter 7: Aerith's Efforts

**After reaching this point in the story and not receiving any requests for Xion, I've come to the conclusion that there just isn't that much demand for her. This, of course, is saddening. Xion is really sweet. However, I will be keeping the poll on my profile open a little longer to let people request her inclusion in the story. If I see demand within a reasonable amount of time, I will work her in. I've got some ideas for the next few chapters, but I haven't finalized anything yet so there's room for edits.**

 **Now we come back to the story at hand. Leon has been introduced, and he might have some interesting information for the gang… But we'll just have to wait for that, because today the focus will be going back to the self-insert and Aerith. This chapter will attempt to shed a little more light on Paul, and why Aerith is so worried about him.**

 _ **Chapter Theme: Dearly Beloved (358/2 Days version)**_

It took a mild bit of searching to find Paul. Eventually, though, Aerith approached him on the outskirts of town. Of course he had come to the Ravine Trail. It was probably the most quiet place anywhere near the residential areas because practically nobody else ever came out here since Cloud and Sephiroth disappeared.

 _Guess I should have looked here first_ , Aerith surmised. Paul always had struck her as the kind of guy who enjoyed some peace and quiet.

"Paul?" she finally asked, drawing near. "Are you okay?"

The young man in the Black Coat looked up, then sighed and went back to looking at the ravine below. "Honestly, no," he said quietly.

"Same as usual?"

"Pretty much."

Aerith paused. So he HADN'T been simply keeping out of sight for reclusiveness' sake.

"So has the situation improved between you and your sisters?" Aerith asked. "Any progress at all?"

"The oldest one's like me, so we get along okay," Paul said. "The other two are still kind of hyper, and the youngest one just isn't that fond of me. My brother's gotten worse though, even our dad has called him out on how much of a jerk he's been."

"Oh." Well that meant things were overall worse than before his brother went off to college. "And I take it you haven't talked to Merlin or Cid about going anywhere else?"

"Where would I go?" Paul asked. "I wouldn't stand a chance at Olympus Coliseum, nobody knows what happened to Traverse Town, and you've told me yourself that you don't know what the other worlds are like. I can't find out for myself either without knowing where they are, let alone how to get there."

"I guess I can't argue with that," Aerith sighed. "Still, there's got to be something we can do, someplace you can go to be happy."

"Well when you find out where, or what, you know where to find me," Paul said, trudging off down the trail towards the Dark Depths. A disappointed Aerith watched him go.

 _I'd argue, but I don't want to push him away_ , Aerith thought to herself as she gazed off in the direction Paul had gone. _He's stubborn, but if I don't handle him carefully I might lose his trust completely. If only things were better for him at home…_

Of course, there was nothing she could do for him on that front. She'd BEEN at Paul's house once. Overcrowded, loud, hectic, and just about intolerable even for her. It was no wonder he was so broken-hearted.

Just as she was starting to contemplate how to talk Cid into driving her around the Lanes Between to start checking out worlds for him, Aerith was interrupted by the sound of someone landing behind her and a familiar giggle. "Hey Aerith," Yuffie said. "Any luck finding that friend of yours?"

"Yes and no," Aerith said. "I was able to talk to him, but he's still pretty distant… I'm not sure how to get through to him without doing more harm than good."

"Well maybe Sora can help," Yuffie suggested. "I just ran into him and a couple of his friends in the Borough, said they're in town to help another friend."

Sora! Of course, why didn't she think of getting his advice earlier? He'd been through a similar situation before, if Merlin's crystal ball was to be believed. If he was in town, then maybe there was hope for Paul after all…

"The Borough, you said?" Aerith asked.

"Yep, and they were headed for the old castle," Yuffie replied. "Why? Did you want to see Sora for something?"

"I just got an idea."


	8. Chapter 8: Complications

**As usual, we will turn the focus back to the Destiny Islands trio for the even-numbered chapter today… At least, for the first part of it. This is the last chapter that I'll keep the Xion poll open on my profile for, so VOTE NOW if you want to see her. In the meantime, today we'll be visiting Ansem's Castle and getting things ready for Naminé! FINALLY! I wasn't expecting to reach Chapter 8 before writing in the setup for this. This might just be a very long fanfic.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy an extra-long chapter this time!**

 _ **Chapter Theme: none**_

"...So let me see if I've got this straight," Enzio said, checking through Ansem's old notes as he spoke to the group. "Naminé has been more active than usual lately within Kairi's heart, fearing that she may be forgotten."

"That's right," Kairi said. "It's really getting to her too… In the last several dreams where she's contacted me, she was so scared that she was crying… I don't blame her… I wouldn't want to be forgotten by the people I care about either."

"And you believe that the best method to assuage her fears is to give her a body of her own," Even continued. "Which, in turn, is why you came to us, since we were the ones who made the Riku Replica and Xion."

"That's the gist of it," Riku said. "We figured that you guys would be the ones to talk to about creating a vessel for Naminé. Though I have to admit, it still feels weird to have you on our side rather than working for the Organization…"

"Ah, those were our foolish days," Enzio sighed. "We believed Xehanort's lies like a bunch of fools, and it cost us not only our hearts, but also our freedom. It was you who saved us, Riku."

"Don't give me all the credit," Riku said. "I mean, didn't Lea - as Axel, I mean - stab Even in the back?"

"In the literal sense, yes," Even said sheepishly. "And when that didn't finish me off quickly, he stabbed me in the chest. But that's irrelevant."

"We can make a vessel for Naminé… In theory," Enzio said. "But there's one problem."

"Well, what's the problem and how can we help fix it?" Sora asked impatiently. He REALLY didn't want Naminé to suffer from her fears any longer than she absolutely had to.

"Naminé wasn't a regular Nobody to begin with," Enzio said. "While Xion was a modified Replica of Roxas, and Even accidentally made Riku Replica's heart from scratch with Naminé's help, Naminé herself was born from one body… But two hearts. Sora and Kairi."

"Not only that," Even added. "Putting aside the fact that Kairi is one of the seven original Princesses of Heart, Naminé's creation was anything but normal. You may recall how Sora had to use the incomplete Dark Keyblade of Hearts to free his heart and Kairi's, rather than simply falling to darkness."

"And there's only one other Keyblade that we know of that's capable of manipulating the heart on such a level, even in the hands of a Keyblade Master," Enzio said flatly. "But that one was Xehanort's Keyblade, No Name, and to my knowledge it should have died with him. And I highly doubt we can form the 𝞦-blade in order to get around such restrictions."

"So what's the big deal?" Sora said. "So Naminé's heart was formed from pieces of both mine and Kairi's. What makes that a problem?"

"What makes that a problem is that the Replicas we've made in the past have only been designed to hold hearts that were formed from only one person at a time," Even sighed. "Xehanort managed to create vessels for beings who had hearts formed from more than one person… But of course, we haven't found his notes, so we're unaware if any changes are necessary. And if we handle this incorrectly, and if Naminé needs a special kind of vessel and we only prepare a standard one…"

"...We might lose her forever," Riku finished ominously. "And Xehanort was the only one who knew for sure whether or not a modified vessel was needed."

"Precisely," Enzio said, cracking open another notebook. "Which is why I started going through these as soon as you told us the situation the first time."

"So… What do we do now?" Kairi asked, placing a hand over her heart. If only they knew for sure… And they couldn't afford to experiment…

"Looks like you're not the only one trying to help a friend," Leon told Aerith. After a walk and a discussion with Sora, Riku, and Kairi, he'd decided to talk to Aerith and tell her the others were in town.

"You ran into Sora?" Aerith asked. "Yes, I already know he's in town."

"...How did you find that out?" Leon asked, taken aback. Aerith was good, but psychic? Sensing hearts? Not exactly things he'd known about, if she could do them at all.

"Oh, Yuffie ran into them too and told me," Aerith said nonchalantly.

Yuffie. Figures. That girl was all over the place.

"So I take it you wanted to go say hello?" the swordsman asked.

"Actually a bit more," Aerith replied. "Yuffie telling me Sora was in town to help a friend of his gave me an idea on how to help the guy I mentioned to you before. But I need his help to do it."

"You, asking for help on dealing with a friend?" Leon mused. "Either you've bitten off more than you can chew, or-"

Before he could tease her anymore, Aerith shot him a look that would have stopped Sephiroth in his tracks. "This is the one time I actually need you to be as serious as normal," Aerith said. "Has anyone ever told you that you need to work on your timing?"

Leon was speechless. Aerith was hard to anger, but getting on her nerves was never a good thing.

"Anyways, where did Sora go?" Aerith asked.

"Uh, he's up at Ansem's Castle," Leon said. "He brought Riku and Kairi with him."

"Perfect," Aerith said, a smile returning to her features. "I could use their help too."

 **As always, please leave a review with your thoughts! I'm curious to see if you guys like the longer chapters! Sora's group and Paul will be meeting up within the next few chapters, with Naminé appearing pretty much immediately after, so stay tuned for when the crew finally starts Fixing Broken Hearts.**


	9. Chapter 9: Paul's Fighting Spirit

**The results are in! Xion's coming to town!**

 **...Well okay maybe not right away but by popular demand, I will include her in this story. While I work on brainstorming that, today we're bringing this chapter back to the self-insert. You guys will finally be able to see what he can do in combat. In the interest of NOT making him a Mary Sue, he will NOT have a Keyblade, at least for the time being. Still on the fence about him getting one later. I know this chapter has a different feel to it than the previous ones, but I still hope you enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter Theme:**_ **Dragon** _ **by JAM Project**_

THIS was why he always came down here. Not just to get away from his crowded home… But to hone his skills. To focus. He only felt free like this.

Paul stood in the canyon on the Path to the Depths, surrounded by Shadow and Armored Knight Heartless. A quick glance around himself gave him the estimate of about 20. That was a little more than usual. That meant he'd best have an escape route ready ASAP.

One of the Armored Knights lunged for him. Paul sidestepped the thrust of its blade, grabbing its arm and proceeding to throw the Heartless over his shoulder and into one of the others in the group. No time to pause, though; the others were capitalizing on the opening and made a dive for the Black-Coated young man. He let out a grunt of discomfort as one of the Shadows slashed at his ribs, sending him stumbling back. Two of the Armored Knights swung down at him… Only for him to finally catch his rhythm.

Now it was a more even fight.

Paul caught both of the attacking Heartless by their forearms, preventing them from bringing their blades down as he kicked a Shadow that strayed too close. He tossed both of the arms in his grasp aside with a flick of his wrists, then drove his left elbow into one of the Armored Knights' faceplates, caving it in and making the Heartless tumble to the ground. The other one was quickly dispatched with a grab on the helm and a couple of gut-punches.

Three Shadows jumped at Paul from behind. Knowing he didn't have time to block, he dove to the side and rolled out of the way, then got rid of one with a quick cast of Aero. The Armored Knights, throwing caution to the wind, lunged at Paul, who again sidestepped and grabbed one by its sword arm.

"DAISETSUZAN OROSHI!" he yelled, whirling the hapless foe over his head with both hands, then releasing it straight into five Shadows with a blast of Aero. Two of them melted into the floor and avoided the attack, but the other three weren't so quick to react, and were crushed by the Armored Knight's weight before being finished off by the spell. Paul didn't even look to see which ones got out unscathed, instead turning his attention back to the Armored Knights. He struck first this time, slamming his fist into one's faceplate, then ducking under the swing of a second as he kicked its legs out from underneath it. He snatched up a blade, stabbing one particularly-opportunistic Heartless through its visor before diving to avoid a Shadow swiping at his face. The next Shadow wasn't so lucky, as it was sent flying with a shove kick the moment it tried to leap at him.

Despite his ease of taking them down, Paul knew he couldn't keep this up. Those 10 he'd walloped so far still hadn't disappeared and were getting back up for more. It looked like he might have to make a run for it…

Then a spinning object flew in from over his shoulder, arcing around and taking out the entire cluster of Heartless as it boomeranged back. Surprised, Paul whipped around, still ready to fight.

"Whoa, easy now, they're gone," Sora said, catching his Keyblade. "I'm on your side, okay? Aerith sent me to find you."

Paul lowered his guard a little. Aerith? Was she worried about hi- Oh who was he kidding, he KNEW Aerith worried about him.

"My name's Sora," the spiky-haired boy said, dismissing his Keyblade and holding his hand out for Paul to shake. Paul didn't take it.

"So what did Aerith send you to find me for?" Paul asked.

"She wants to talk, and for some reason she wants my help with it," Sora said. "She's up at Ansem's Castle, along with some other friends of ours."

"Knowing her, if I tried to refuse she'd just storm out here and give me a look that could flatten a giant Heartless before talking about whatever she has in mind anyway," Paul sighed. "Lead the way…"


	10. Chapter 10: Twilight Town Tussles

**I'll admit, I am having a lot of trouble coming up with ideas for this story. I've got the ending all planned out, but I can hardly figure out what to do at the current point in the story. I can't just skip to the end, mind you; so many important things need to happen that it would be like what would happen if you tried to play Kingdom Hearts 2 with full knowledge of the events of 1 but no knowledge of the events of Chain of Memories - it gets confusing VERY quickly because so many vital details just aren't in place yet. I would appreciate creative assistance going forward; please make your offers via the review function below or via PM.**

 **I promised Xion in this fic, and I need some way to get her involved. Since I've got no better ideas to pad out the time while Even and Enzio sort through Xehanort's old notebooks, I figured I might as well get started on that. So for this chapter, we're going to move away from Radiant Garden for a bit and move over to Twilight Town.**

 _ **Chapter Theme: Working Together (from Kingdom Hearts 2)**_

"Come on Roxas, hurry up!" Hayner shouted. "We're gonna be late for the Struggle tourney!"

"Calm down Hayner, we're fine," Olette laughed. "The Sandlot's less than a block away and it's still ten minutes before registration ends. We've got time."

"I think he just wants a chance to scout out the competition," Pence said. "Still, he's right… Roxas is kind of lagging behind."

"Well what do you expect when the girl of his dreams is sitting right next to him every time we meet at The Usual Spot?" Olette asked. "Xion's pretty popular for a reason. Even Seifer and his gang don't try to bother her because she's-"

"You know you guys embarrass me whenever you praise me like that," Xion said, blushing as she and Roxas caught up to the group. Hayner rolled his eyes. Of course they were hand-in-hand. He knew Xion and Roxas had a past together that had blossomed into a romance not long before they joined the Usual Spot gang, but sometimes the two of them focused just a little too much on each other and not enough on the activity at hand. Summer vacation was almost over, and now… well, now Hayner wanted to win the Struggle tournament. He was looking forward to finally getting his revenge on Seifer after that very near match last year.

As would be expected of tournament day, the Sandlot was pretty crowded. Defending champ Setzer stood off in one corner, with a number of girls swooning over him while Seifer discussed strategy with the rest of the Disciplinary Committee. Of course, Seifer took notice almost immediately when Hayner and his group came in, and shot both Roxas and Xion quite the look. He knew there was something he never liked about those two.

Just as everyone finished registering and the opening ceremonies were about to start, Seifer, flanked by Fuu and Rai, marched over to give Hayner's gang a piece of his mind. "So, you punks have picked up a couple of newbies," he said, shoving Olette aside to glare at Xion and Roxas. Neither one of them flinched, much to Rai's surprise.

"If we're punks, what does that make you for just pushing someone aside?" Roxas snapped. "Last I heard, your little Disciplinary Committee is the group that tends to get into trouble, not us."

"Hey, you shut up when Seifer's talkin' to ya, ya know?" Rai cut in as Fuu turned her icy stare upon Xion. Seifer, of course, was fuming. "I'll teach you to talk like that to me, you insect," he said raising his hand to strike… but stopping. He found himself with a Keyblade pointed at his chest.

"Save it for the tournament, Seifer," Xion said flatly, not lowering her Kingdom Key. "Or you'll find out that this thing does a lot more than just open locks."

"Keyblade," Fuu said, completely shocked by Xion's utter lack of hesitation. "Uhh, Seifer, maybe she's right, ya know?" Rai said. "I mean, the cops already have us on probation after the last run-in and-"

"Enough, Rai," Seifer breathed, still absolutely livid but retaining enough control to prevent himself from trying anything stupid. He lowered his hand. "Fine. I'll wait to face you in the tourney later today… And then I'll mop the floor with each of you one by one. You hear me? One by one, you'll all lose."

"We'll just see about that," Hayner said as Seifer, Fuu and Rai turned away and returned to their corner to continue discussing strategy with Vivi. Xion dismissed her Keyblade, a satisfied smirk on her face. "He's bluffing," she said confidently. "He doesn't think he can win. Not without intimidating us."

"Gee, I wonder why," Roxas said sarcastically. "Wait until he finds out we've both beaten Heartless five times his size and speed. Individually."

"Never mind that, I wanna see who's up in the first round," Hayner said, marching over to the chalkboard to see which matches would take place first.

Rai and Vivi were easy wins, and Fuu went down almost instantly to Setzer, much to the delight of the latter's fangirls. Just like last year, Hayner _just barely_ failed to beat Seifer… But at least this time the loss came down to a decision by the judges since they both had equal amounts of spheres at the end of the timer. Round 2, and this time it was Seifer vs Xion and Setzer vs Roxas. Xion and Seifer were up first, and Seifer grinned. This time, that little girl wasn't allowed to pull out her Keyblade. No cheap tricks would save her from his skill…

Or so he thought.

Less than 30 seconds into the match, he shook himself out of his daze to find the referee already raising Xion's hand in victory. He couldn't believe it. Not only had she absolutely beaten him senseless and snagged all the orbs, but she'd done it before he could even figure out what the hell just happened. And he could hear Hayner and Pence laughing their butts off from the sidelines too.

"How could I have lost so badly?" he asked himself. How did that little girl beat me?"

"Let me answer that question," Xion cut in. "I've been in real combat almost my whole life. Struggle's more or less what I used to do every day, just without the life-or-death factor."

Seifer, Fuu, Rai, and Vivi all looked at Xion like she'd just opened Pandora's box. This girl… This innocent-looking little girl… had been in COMBAT? Life-and-death fighting? Who WAS this kid? WHAT was this kid?

"Oh by the way? Roxas has been at it for even longer than me," Xion said. "And you're kind of about to miss his match against Setzer."

The ladies were cheering as the two took up their stances...


End file.
